Russia has invaded Ukraine

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Interesting development with no US components used. Plus, one of the companies, MGI, is new to the defence sector. It uses advanced composite materials pioneered in Formula 1 racing cars to make its Tiger Shark missile.


https://www.ft.com/content/78d880ee-...syn-25a6b1a6=1

One day, someone will have to ask Trump how he’s made America great again by so diminishing its influence. It’s almost as if he was always too stupid to realise what would happen if he made other countries not trust America any more.

Originally Posted by Chris

Crimea is under effective seige now, because the Kerch Strait Bridge is all but unusable and the land corridor, the coastal road through the occupied territories, is patrolled by autonomous truck-hunting drones. Yes, they require human permission to actually go in for a kill but we have arrived at the point where some kid miles from the front is clicking a dialogue box asking Blow up lorry? OK/Cancel.

This is only very surprising to those who prefer to think the Ukraine war has more or less gone away, except for every 3 months when the BBC dispatches someone to file weary reportage from some crater near the front where the troops haven’t been rotated out in months. The narrative that Russian victory is inevitable is surprisingly persistent, especially in the face of this week’s multiple Ukrainian strategic attacks on Moscow.

As if to prove a point, one of those “Russia Masses Troops to Advance and Take Donbas” stories appears on the BBC.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9w2g0ewk95o

The salient facts (that Russia is losing 30,000 troops a month, has barely advanced anywhere all year, has lost ground to Ukraine in various sectors) is either not mentioned at all, or gets a look in downpage. All because there are 100 Russians inside a ruined city all desperately doing flag-planting propaganda photos.

These stories appear because journalists have been steeped for decades in the idea that Russia is basically the same as the Soviet Union, a superpower with a massive, effective army. But it’s not even certain *that* was ever really true, and it’s absolutely not true now. Nevertheless, we’re doomed to suffer breathless commentary every time something happens that props up that presupposition.

[1andrew1]

A reader's comment by Florisan in the FT

Putin dies and ends up in Hell. After a few years, the Devil feels generous so grants him one day back on Earth.

Putin walks into a bar in Moscow, orders a beer, and starts quizzing the bartender, desperate to know how the war turned out.

“Tell me: is Crimea ours?”

“Yes, Crimea is ours.”

“And the Donbas? Is the Donbas ours?”

“Yes, the Donbas is ours too.”

“And Kyiv? Did we take Kyiv?”

“Of course. Kyiv is ours.”

“And Moscow? Moscow is still ours?”

“Yes, Moscow is ours as well.”

Beaming, Putin finishes his beer. “Wonderful! How much do I owe you?”

“Two hryvnia.”

https://www.ft.com/content/75148ab3-...syn-25a6b1a6=1

Meanwhile, and in a further indication of how Trumpy MAGA is turning out anything but, British weapons manufacturers have been producing prototype missiles for Ukraine under a UK government sponsored programme whose aim is to produce weapons for Ukraine that do not have any American components or reliance on American GPS or other data. The project is called Project Brakestop, which tells you everything you need to know about how Trump’s attempt to hobble Ukraine and support Putin has served only to erode trust in America as an ally and to reduce the perceived value of American defence technologies. A missile you can’t fire if its manufacturer vetoes it, is just a lump of useless metal.

[thenry]

Why did they all agree with Trumps leadership when he kicked off in the white house? Great allies snaking eachother. Well done.

I still want to know Trumps views on friendly fire.

Originally Posted by thenry

Why did they all agree with Trumps leadership when he kicked off in the white house? Great allies snaking eachother. Well done.

I still want to know Trumps views on friendly fire.

That hails from a point in which European leaders - and Zelensky, under advice from Europeans - still believed it was possible to contain Trump with flattery. It has since become obvious that Trump is too unstable, to easily swayed by whoever he last spoke to and his own base need to be respected as a tough guy by association with tough guys. Some of the fulsome sucking-up was cringeworthy to watch, but thankfully we should not see any more of it.

[Sephiroth]

I fear that Europe has passed the point of no return with the USA given that there are 2 more years of Trump, even if he loses badly in the mid-term elections. An untrustworthy ally is no ally.

It seems that doing the right thing for Ukraine trumps relations with Trump's government. At the same time, they'll be looking beyond Trump but hope to be divergent from the USA on armaments whilst retaining inter-operability (with a Euro[ean kill switch).

A wise UK PM will buy into serious defence cooperation with Europe.

[thenry]

You could simplify your post to just freeloaders.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by thenry

You could simplify your post to just freeloaders.

I'm not sure where you're coming from here. But the past freeloaders (Europe in particular) have opened their eyes ands those days are over.

Originally Posted by thenry

You could simplify your post to just freeloaders.

Tell me you don’t understand (much like Trump) why the USA has bases and military forces in Europe without telling me you don’t understand why the USA has bases and military forces in Europe…

[1andrew1]

I get the impression that Trump likes to back winners, although he's not particularly successful at selecting them!

He seems to be changing his tune a bit on Ukraine the more successful that Ukraine is.

Russia has accused the US of abandoning efforts to broker an end to the war in Ukraine after Donald Trump appeared to be shifting again in favour of Kyiv.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday said the US was “seemingly stepping back from the role of an objective mediator” in the war and had “forgotten” about Trump’s own statements last year inching towards Moscow’s position.

Instead, Trump was “hugely impressed and enthusiastic” about Ukraine’s recent campaign of long-range strikes on targets deep inside Russia at last week’s G7 summit, said two people briefed on the private discussions among the leaders. Trump at that summit also agreed to increase sanctions on Russian energy.

Those strikes, which have since intensified with attacks on military targets around Moscow and an oil refinery on the outskirts of the city, are supported by US intelligence, which western allies have urged Washington to continue providing.

Lavrov’s comments were the clearest sign yet of growing frustration in Russia that the US has not helped end President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year, on terms favourable to Moscow.

https://www.ft.com/content/e08ee46f-...syn-25a6b1a6=1

---------- Post added at 14:21 ---------- Previous post was at 14:21 ----------

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

I'm not sure where you're coming from here.

You and me both!

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

I get the impression that Trump likes to back winners, although he's not particularly successful at selecting them!

He seems to be changing his tune a bit on Ukraine the more successful that Ukraine is.

Kicking and screaming but, yes, a little at least. He’ll equivocate though, unless Russia comes to the brink of unavoidable collapse. He desperately wants Putin to do well. One view is that the Russians have kompromat on him, another is simply that he’s a low-IQ narcissistic sociopath whose self-image depends on the success of those he admires, and he admires Putin, and others like him, who get to run their countries the way Trump likes to run his boardrooms.

[thenry]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Tell me you don’t understand (much like Trump) why the USA has bases and military forces in Europe without telling me you don’t understand why the USA has bases and military forces in Europe…

I understand freeloaders isn't flagged on your news feed.

---------- Post added at 14:37 ---------- Previous post was at 14:34 ----------

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

You and me both!

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

I fear that Europe has passed the point of no return with the USA given that there are 2 more years of Trump, even if he loses badly in the mid-term elections. An untrustworthy ally is no ally.

It seems that doing the right thing for Ukraine trumps relations with Trump's government. At the same time, they'll be looking beyond Trump but hope to be divergent from the USA on armaments whilst retaining inter-operability (with a Euro[ean kill switch).

A wise UK PM will buy into serious defence cooperation with Europe.

Back to Biden perhaps Kamala Harris running again

Or…

You could try having an opinion based on fact, rather than Trump/MAGA rhetoric…

From a post I made last year…

Also, the US bases in Europe are not only there as a deterrent/protection for the Countries they are in, they are there to support power projection and minimise the "loss of strength gradient*". As we have seen in the current conflict, soldiers win battles, logistics win wars - by having permanent bases in Europe, many of the benefits that US military forces have operating in the United States are replicated overseas, and the loss of strength gradient starts from Europe, rather than the United States.

Also, the bases in Europe allow the USA to react quicker to hot-spots/issues in the Gulf/Mediterranean/Eastern Europe much faster/more consistently than if they had to ship everything over from 'Murica...

* the farther a military is operating from "home", the less power they can project to that area.

[thenry]

I'll be honest I don't understand all that. Countries are cooperating with eachother fine. There's no need for the freeloading.